Would A 50mm 1.4 Lens Be Needed?

If you had a 5D and an EF 24-70 Lens, are there any reasons you would still need the 50mm?

Thank you.

Shooting at f1.4-f2.5

What he said

If you can't figure out when f/2.8 might not be fast enough, consider yourself VERY LUCKY! (and alot richer without having to buy a bunch of fast primes )

Primes give a different feeling to your pictures, due to the large F-stops.

Although, the 50mm f/1.4 will be quite soft at f/1.4 - f/1.8... The bokeh from the 24-70L is better anyway, even the focusing speed, build quality etc.

It's up to you...if 2.8 is enough then stick with the brick

I would love the 24-70L, and I could afford one if I sell my 85 and 30 primes, but once I look at a shot at 30mm @ f/1.4, I realize I could NEVER sell them....

My son just had his first haircut, I obviously wasn't going to blast him with flash, so I shot with my primes (wide open) at ISO800 to get some great shots. f/2.8 would not have cut it (oh, I made a pun!)

its sad that the 50mm f1.4 is soft at f1.4-f1.8 Which is the main reason why i went and sold the 50mm f1.4

If you are going to get a 50mm f1.4, get the sigma 50mm f1.4

^ +1 on the Sigma! Plus REAL HSM (~USM)

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my 30/1.4 on my crop bodies.

Marloon wrote in post #8090862
its sad that the 50mm f1.4 is soft at f1.4-f1.8 Which is the main reason why i went and sold the 50mm f1.4

If you are going to get a 50mm f1.4, get the sigma 50mm f1.4

do not dismiss the 50L:p

Marloon knows what's up. Sigma makes THE best 50 1.4

The 50L is a problematic lens. Too many reports of focus shift with change in aperture.

50mm is the least useful focal lengh for me, even back in the film days.
The only advantage to the one you are looking at is the 1.4 low light ability.

The ultimate answer may have to also factor in your buget range.

Tks.

50mm with your 50D with be like 80mm though....quite an useful FL if ur asking me...

It's bigger, heavier, and more expensive too. The choice among the 50's depends in part on what aspects are how important.

One reason to choose, say, a 50mm f/1.8 or f/1.4 is for situations when a much bigger lens like the 24-70 esp. with hood would be obtrusive, intimidating, or distracting to the subject. I've read that sometimes venues disallow "pro" camera rigs, which they define as anything with a lens over 6" long or something.

The aperture discussions above are another frequent reason why someone would use a 50mm prime. I shot my son this morning in a room with a bit of light leaking through closed blinds at f/2.0. Not the best results, but at ISO 3200, f/2.0 meant 1/15 compared to f/2.8 at 1/8.

Actually I'm kinda disappointed that the 5D2 didn't give better results at 3200.